Auckland Shopping and Souvenirs

New Zealand-Style Gifts for You, Family and Friends

From your city centre base at Scenic Hotel Auckland, you're just a few steps away from some great shopping. A short bus ride or walk away brings you to even more shopping options – so whether you've got an hour, an afternoon or several days, you'll be able to get a taste of Auckland street life and its fantastic shopping opportunities. We've pinpointed a few of Auckland's most popular shopping spots and suggested a few very 'kiwi' souvenirs and gifts that will remind you of your stay in New Zealand.

Top Shopping Spots

The following areas of Auckland are well-known for their wide array of shops, boutiques and malls and offer shopaholics plenty of opportunity to rest weary-shopping feet in cafes and restaurants.

Parnell – Upmarket village-style shopping in Parnell is a great choice for shoppers who love darting in and out of beautiful boutiques. If you're looking for a special piece of jewellery, then one of Parnell's many jewellers can tempt you. Enjoy watching the fashion elite of Auckland pound the pavements with a delicious coffee or meal at one of the many watering holes.

Newmarket – A short distance away from the Scenic Hotel Auckland, is the suburb of Newmarket – the so-called 'Fashion Capital of New Zealand.' Here you can browse, window-shop and shop for hours in boutiques, high-street stores and one of the country's largest shopping malls.

Ponsonby – You may well curse your luggage allowance when you shop in hip and trendy Ponsonby. Designers and fashion icons have their showcase stores here and you'll find oodles of designer clothing, furniture, kitchenware, interiors and gifts to choose from.

Favourite Souvenirs

If you want to take home a souvenir or memento of your stay in Auckland and New Zealand, then take a look at some of our favourite gift ideas. We can easily point you in the right direction to find shops selling these souvenirs and gifts.

Kiwis – These charming, rare and little birds are one of our national symbols and as you probably know, even gives New Zealanders the demonym of Kiwis. You can take home a kiwi of your own – though probably not a live one – on countless souvenir items: dolls, models, keyfobs, t-shirts, mugs, caps, umbrellas, waterproof clothing, sportsgear, beer glasses, golfballs – pretty much anything!

Pounamu / Greenstone / Jade – Pounamu is the Maori name for hard, durable and highly valued New Zealand nephrite jade and bowenite. This rock is handcrafted into many forms including jewellery, which is popular among New Zealanders.Greenstone jewellery is often given to visitors as gifts to show love, close friendship and gratitude. A popular form of pounamu is the hai-matau (a stylised fish hook) that symbolises strength, good luck and safe travel across water.

Manuka Honey – This delicious honey is made in New Zealand by honeybees that frequent the manuka bush. It has a strong, sweet flavou and it's claimed that is has antibacterial properties.

Paua Shell Jewellery – One of the world's most colourful shells comes from New Zealand's unique abalone (sea snails). The beautiful shell inner, called paua, is made from highly iridescent mother-of-pearl which creates changeable and strong colours based around blue and green.

Other Popular New Zealand Souvenirs

You may also find room in your luggage for:

Sheepskin rugs and/or clothing

Merino wool (baby gear and clothing)

Bone carvings

Maori or Pacific artwork

No room left in your suitcases? Don't worry, just take a few more photographs - we not only want you to remember the Scenic Hotel Auckland, our beautiful city and our country – but we'd like you to come back again soon.